Roberta Aguirre
Airplane! (1980) is a comedy masterpiece and one of the greatest spoof films ever made. It is a parody of the disaster film genre, specifically the airborne ones, like the Airport series. The film is packed with jokes, puns, gags, slapstick, one-liners, comebacks, wordplay, and absurdity. It is a satirical disaster film that lifts the plot of Zero Hour! and tells the story of what happens when the passengers on a flight to Chicago are poisoned by their fish dinners, and the plane must be landed by shell-shocked veteran Ted Striker, who has to overcome his fear of flying.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Film Name | Airplane! (1980) |
| Genre | Comedy, Spoof, Parody |
| Plot | A neurotic ex-fighter pilot must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers after the crew becomes sick with food poisoning |
| Film Type | Disaster film |
| Film Style | Surreal humour, fast-paced slapstick comedy, visual and verbal puns, gags, running jokes, dark humour |
| Inspiration | Zero Hour! (1957), Airport series (particularly Airport 1975), Irwin Allen disaster movies |
| Cast | Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lorna Patterson |
| Reception | Positive, praised for its humour, gags, and spoofs |
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What You'll Learn
- Airplane! is a spoof of disaster films, particularly the airborne ones
- The film is a remake of Zero Hour! with a satirical twist
- It is also a parody of the Airport series of disaster films
- The film's opening credits spoof Steven Spielberg's Jaws
- Airplane! is known for its surreal humour and fast-paced comedy
Airplane! is a spoof of disaster films, particularly the airborne ones
The 1980 film "Airplane!" is a spoof comedy, widely regarded as one of the best films of that year. It is a parody of the disaster film genre, particularly airborne ones, like the Airport series, and the 1957 film Zero Hour!, from which it borrows the plot, central characters, and some dialogue.
The film is co-written and co-directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. It stars Robert Hays as Ted Striker, a pilot with a fear of flying who has difficulty maintaining a relationship with his stewardess girlfriend Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty). Despite his fears, Ted is tasked with landing a plane full of passengers after the crew becomes sick with food poisoning.
"Airplane!" captures the setup and danger of airline disaster films, but with a unique twist. It is filled with puns, gags, slapstick, one-liners, comebacks, wordplay, and absurdity, all bundled into an exciting, thrilling plot. The film is known for its surreal humor and fast-paced comedy, with visual and verbal jokes, running gags, and dark humor.
The film also includes references to other films, such as Jaws, The Wizard of Oz, Saturday Night Fever, From Here to Eternity, and Spartacus. It even has a nod to "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens in the closing credits. With its relentless jokes and spoofs, "Airplane!" offers a hilarious twist on the disaster film genre, particularly those set on airplanes.
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The film is a remake of Zero Hour! with a satirical twist
The 1980 comedy film "Airplane!" is a satirical remake of the 1957 drama film "Zero Hour!". "Airplane!" is co-written and co-directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. It is a parody of the air disaster film genre, specifically spoofing the "Airport" films of the 1970s.
"Airplane!" follows a similar plot to "Zero Hour!", with both films centring on a plane that must be landed safely after the crew becomes incapacitated. In "Airplane!", the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, while in "Zero Hour!", the pilots fall ill. The main character of "Airplane!", Ted Striker, is a neurotic ex-fighter pilot with a fear of flying who must overcome his trauma to land the plane safely.
The writers of "Airplane!" were inspired by "Zero Hour!" and lifted many elements directly from the film, including dialogue, scenes, character names, and costumes. They purchased the rights to "Zero Hour!" to avoid legal issues and ensure creative freedom. The result is a hilarious spoof that intermixes absurdity with the setup and danger of airline disaster films.
"Airplane!" is filled with puns, gags, slapstick, one-liners, comebacks, wordplay, and satirical moments. It has a unique, exciting, and thrilling plot that stands out from other comedies. The film is a fast-paced, brief, and inexpensive production that delivers clever and confident humour.
"Airplane!" pays homage to "Zero Hour!" while adding a satirical twist, creating a fun and enduring comedy that remains embedded in popular culture long after its release.
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It is also a parody of the Airport series of disaster films
The 1980 film Airplane! is a parody of the disaster film genre, specifically the Airport series of disaster films from the 1970s. It is also a spoof of the 1957 film Zero Hour!, from which it borrows the plot, central characters, and some dialogue.
The film is filled with puns, gags, slapstick, one-liners, comebacks, wordplay, and absurdity. It has a unique style of comedy, with a thrilling plot and a bit of romance. The cast plays their roles straight, which makes the comedy even funnier.
Airplane! is a satirical disaster film that tells the story of what happens when the passengers on a flight to Chicago are poisoned by their fish dinners, and the plane must be landed by shell-shocked veteran Ted Striker (played by Robert Hays), who has a fear of flying. The film also stars Julie Hagerty as Striker's stewardess girlfriend, Elaine Dickinson.
The film is known for its surreal humour and fast-paced slapstick comedy, including visual and verbal puns, gags, running jokes, and dark humour. It received universal acclaim from critics and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1980. It grossed $171 million worldwide against a budget of $3.5 million.
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The film's opening credits spoof Steven Spielberg's Jaws
The 1980 comedy masterpiece, Airplane!, is widely regarded as one of the greatest spoofs ever made. The film is a parody of disaster movies, with a particular focus on Zero Hour! (1957), from which it borrows dialogue, scenes, character names, and costumes.
The opening credits of Airplane! spoof Steven Spielberg's Jaws, with a plane taking the place of a shark. The film also includes a spoof of Saturday Night Fever and a running gag in which every passenger who listens to Robert Hays' character ends up killing themselves.
The film follows a neurotic ex-fighter pilot, Ted Striker, who must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers after the crew becomes sick with food poisoning. Ted, a shell-shocked veteran with a fear of flying, is in a troubled relationship with his stewardess girlfriend, Elaine Dickinson.
Airplane! is filled with puns, gags, slapstick, one-liners, comebacks, wordplay, and absurdity, all bundled into an exciting and thrilling plot. The film is unique in its genre, with a steadier comic attitude than other chaotic disaster films of its time.
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Airplane! is known for its surreal humour and fast-paced comedy
The 1980 film "Airplane!" is a parody of the disaster film genre, particularly the 1957 film "Zero Hour!", from which it borrows the plot, central characters, and some dialogue. It also draws heavily from the 1975 film "Airport" and other films in the "Airport" series. "Airplane!" is known for its surreal humour and fast-paced comedy, including visual and verbal puns, gags, running jokes, and dark humour.
The film is filled with absurdity and satire, as it pokes fun at the disaster films that dominated the 1970s, especially those set on airplanes. The plot centres on a neurotic ex-fighter pilot, Ted Striker, who must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers after the crew becomes sick with food poisoning. The film is filled with hilarious gags, such as the blow-up auto-pilot running out of air and the running joke of every passenger who listens to Robert Hays' character ending up killing themselves.
One of the most memorable aspects of "Airplane!" is its dense and varied humour. The film is packed with jokes, puns, slapstick comedy, one-liners, comebacks, wordplay, and absurd situations. The non-jokes are also a key part of what makes the film work, as the straight man in a comedy routine. The film even includes a spoof of the opening credits of Steven Spielberg's "Jaws", with a plane in place of a shark.
The film is also known for its satirical take on airport movies, with scenes like the baggage claim arrangement at the airport featuring passengers sitting wearily on a conveyor belt, looking in vain for their bags. The closing credits also list a credit for Charles Dickens as the "Author of 'A Tale of Two Cities'," and a passenger who chooses a "smoking" section is given a ticket that appears to be on fire. These unexpected twists and turns keep the audience guessing and add to the film's fast-paced and unpredictable nature.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Airplane! is a spoof of the Airport series of disaster films that ran throughout the 1970s. It also draws on other films in the genre, such as Zero Hour! and Jaws.
Airplane! is about a neurotic ex-fighter pilot, Ted Striker, who has to land a commercial plane full of passengers after the crew becomes sick with food poisoning.
The film stars Robert Hays as Ted Striker, Julie Hagerty as his girlfriend Elaine, and Leslie Nielsen as Dr Rumack, the onboard physician.
